The transportation costs of goods is usually calculated using either the weight of the goods and/or the volumetric capacity, and therefore it can be accepted that the weight, and volumetric space that is made up by packaging with or without goods contained therein, has a direct and often linear influence on the cost and the transportation of such goods.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that, when transporting packaging containing goods, of the total volumetric capacity occupied by the structure with the goods contained therein, the space occupied by the actual packaging structure, and any unnecessary air space, should be kept to a minimum so as not to add unnecessarily to the transportation cost of the goods.
Furthermore, if the transportation cost is calculated upon volumetric capacity alone, and should the packaging contain the same volumetric dimensions once it has been emptied, then the costs of returning such packaging once it has been emptied will be equal to the cost of delivering the packaging containing the goods.
The inventor is aware of containers for the transport goods which define a load space in which the goods are receivable. The problem with these containers is that after the transport of goods to a desired destination, the containers are costly to return to the point of departure, and are often destroyed at their destination, also at a cost and at the expense of natural resources.
In an attempt to address this problem, the inventor is aware of collapsible containers which have an erect condition in which they define a goods receiving volume in which goods to be transported are receivable and a collapsed condition in which the volume occupied by the container is less than when in its erect condition thereby reducing the cost of transporting empty containers.
While it makes economic sense to re-use the packaging, the cost to return the packaging once it has been emptied does not contribute any value to the delivered goods and therefore it is an additional expense which increases the cost of the goods delivered.
It can therefore be concluded that the design of packaging to be returned has a direct influence on the transportation cost of the goods delivered therein, and that in so far as possible, the packaging must be designed to limit the cost attached to the transport of goods.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collapsible container which the Inventor believes will at least ameliorate this problem.